Not only does the sun power Earth and those of us who reside here, but it also provides or has provided power for most of our past, present, and future spacecraft exploring the solar system. Photovoltaic arrays have provided electrical power for robotic and human spacecraft since the earliest days of the Space Age, with the flight of the USAâs Vanguard 1 in 1958.
The state of Hawaii consists of eight main islands: Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and the Big Island of Hawaii. Hawaii is the most isolated population center on the face of the earth. Hawaii is 2,390 miles from California; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; and 5,280 miles from the Philippines.
With an area of 4,028 square miles (10,430 km2), it is larger than all of the other islands in the archipelago combined and is the largest island in the United States. The island of Hawaii is the third largest island in Polynesia, behind the two main islands of New Zealand. The island is often referred to as the Island of HawaiÊ»i, the Big Island, or HawaiÊ»i Island to distinguish between the island and the state. Administratively, the whole island is encompassed by HawaiÊ»i County.